Interview with Jesse Rifkin
Jesse Rifkin, author of “This Must Be the Place,” interviews me about my experiences in mid-90s Williamsburg, Brooklyn and the bands and scenes I was a part of creating.
Last year, I came across the writing of Jesse Rifkin, an astute chronicler of the music scenes of New York at the end of the last century into this one, and author of the book “This Must Be the Place.” I was curious to see if he had done his homework, as many other music writers have really fallen short of chronicling the music scene since the demise of print. Jesse is the real deal.
After a few months of phone/text tag we finally met up in person at a little bar on Avenue A in the late summer of 2023 during one of my swings back to NYC. As buckets of rain poured down, we sipped our pints, and I looked across the window to the Pyramid Club, where I had done some of my first gigs ever in the mid-90s, including one of the first with Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings (we were still the Soul Providers at the time: you can tell because there is a piece of me on the cover of the album where I’m wearing a gray suit. A few months later, Gabe had us all fitted for the first round of matching green sharkskin jackets and skinny black ties.
Jesse and I could have talked forever, but we ran out of time and made a promise to get up sometime for a proper interview. Read it here.
25th Anniversary of Antibalas: Two nights at Brooklyn Bowl
Just recovering from two nights of sublime and intense music in my old stomping grounds of Williamsburg Brooklyn at the Brooklyn Bowl. We had DJ Rob Castillo from Caracas via CDMX, Kaethe Hostetter and her magic violin (fri) and Stuart Bogie’s Magic Hands (Sat) for support.
The Band: (both nights)Trumpet: Jordan McLean; Trumpet: Andrew McGovern, Tenor sax: Drew Vandewinckel, Baritone sax/flute/percussion: Martín Perna; shekere/vox: Marcus Farrar. congas: Reinaldo deJesus; drums: Kevin Raczka; guitar: Timothy James; guitar: Bryan Vargas; keys: Jake Pinto.
Guests night 2: trombone: Raymond Mason; tenor sax: Max Kassoy; Tenor sax: Stuart Bogie;
From the Dap Kings: percussion: Bosco Mann, percussion: Elizabeth Pupo-Walker; trumpet: Dave Guy; tenor sax: Cochemea Gastelum; from Skatalites/Frightnrs: Anant Pradhan; From Havana, Cuba on congas Pellito el Afrokan
